McGill University
Aging is associated with limitation in movements and decline in motor behaviours. As people age, changes are typically observed with respect to athletic ability, gait, postural adjustments, maintenance of balance (avoiding falls), and precision of the manual skills. Some motor limitations are simply a function of muscle atrophy. As expected, this is accompanied by a loss of strength. Whereas the condition of muscles accounts for some deterioration of motor behaviours, adults also undergo numerous changes in the sensorimotor nervous system with increasing age. These changes may include reduced tactile sensory functioning, reduced visual functioning, and physiological changes in the neuromotor system such as, for example, a reduction in the number of a motor neurones. My research program focus on the identification of the neural mechanisms involved in these changes including the sensory modalities (touch, vision) involved in the age-related changes seen specifically in fine manual dexterity.